Gold House Throws First-Ever Gold Diwali in Los Angeles

Gold House staged its first-ever Diwali celebration on Oct. 29 in Los Angeles, turning the Festival of Lights into a new tentpole event honoring the South Asian diaspora.

The event, held at The Majestic Downtown, drew CEOs, creators and community members from across entertainment, media, fashion and business. Gold House is the Asian Pacific cultural institution that provides opportunity and supports the work of its community.

Who showed up?

The guest list leaned heavily on names with scale. The acting and production team behind Ramayana: Rise of a Legend attended — the film, set to debut globally on Nov. 5, carries a $500 million budget and is positioned as the most expensive Indian film ever made.

Co-hosts spanned several industries:

• Actors Freida Pinto, Dhar Mann and Priyanka Kedia
• Fashion designer Tan France
• Blumhouse president Abhijay Prakash
• Poshmark founder Manish Chandra, plus Anita Chatterjee

Bing Chen, executive chairman and CEO of Gold House, framed the evening in cultural terms. "Diwali is a celebration of light, community, and connection, and we wanted to bring that spirit to our Gold Diwali while honoring how culture shapes who we are and the possibilities we create," Chen said.

What did Gold House announce?

The organization used the night to launch a partnership with nonprofit film fund South Stack Studios. The new Gold Stack Shorts Fund will back short films and microseries focused on South Asian stories. Applications are open through Nov. 30 — a concrete deadline for creators watching the fund's first cycle.

That's the business hook here: a cultural celebration doubling as a funding channel for South Asian storytelling.

How did the evening run?

Guests took part in traditional Diwali customs. Rasoi Catering handled a South Asian menu, and DJ MissNinja supplied the music. Entertainment and activations included:

• A live tabla performance by KVS Tabla
• A jewelry experience by Bhindi Jewelers
• A portrait studio run by dating app Dil Mil with The Lounge Booth

BMF Productions produced the event. Additional sponsors included Smartwater, Glance, McKinsey & Company, and Google's 100 Zeros.

Photography came from Wini Lao Photography and Gonzalo Marroquin of Getty Images.

With a first edition in the books, a sponsor roster spanning consulting and tech, and a funding pipeline attached, Gold Diwali now sits alongside Gold House's other tentpoles as a recurring platform for South Asian creators and the brands that want to reach them.